Toothbrush



p 1959 GGGGGGG LD 2,883,691

TooTHBRUSH United StatoS Patoof Tho preSet invention felates to toothbrnsheS and in parficular fo toothbTUSheS fvflich al'e operated With one finger in ofder to peTnfft of a thofoogh cleansing action of t11e teeth.

It has been propoSed befofe to foVide toothbruShes vvhich inStead of providing a conventiona1 handle vvere equipped with a ubbef fing at its outef end which waS adaptod to feceiving one fngef and furthern1ofe it haS been a1so pfopoSed before to pfovido a ho1der of ffuStoconical configufation adapted fo feceive a 1inger of evon to pfovide meToly a fnger S1eeve made of fubbeT Whioh Was foTmed on itS outSide with a SefieS of fidges designed to poffofIn the oleansing action on fhe feeth.

vVhile these knoWn structuTeS an1 ounted a1Teady to an inlpfovenlent of the conventiona1 toothbfuSh, it vaS 1111- avoidable that an known structureS re uired the manu fach1ro of different sizes becaUSe the holder, sleeve of the like had to conforn1 fo the thicknesS of the ngef of the user of the toothbfuSh.

1t iS, therofoTe, one obieof of the pTesent invention fo pfovido a toofhbfuSh vvhich iS doSigned to be handlod vvfth one nnger on1y and peTn1itS of a oleanSing action on the i11Sido and olltSide of the teeth and Which is equipped With a member Which iS adiustable to any thick T1eSS of the nngef of t11e uSer.

It is anotheT obiect of the 1)feSent inve1tio11 fo pfovide a toothbrush Which coIn rises a short handle to Which bfistloS of the like aTo Secufed and one end of Said hand1o has attached thefeon one end of a holical spfing n1ado of snch nlatefia1 that the spfing adjusts itSelf fo the thick 1oss of tho f1ngef n1efe1y by inseftion of the fingef into the heHca1 spfing.

With theSe and othof objects iI1 view which vvi11 be oomo appafent in the fonowing detai1ed descfiption, the proSet i1venion wi11 be c1early undefstood in con11ection With tho acconpanying draWing, io which:

Fi Te 1 is a side elevation of the toothbrush vvit1 the finge1 shoWn in a stfaight position;

Fig. 2 is a side olevafion of the toothbrush With fhe finge1 in bent 1)ositio11 to indicate tho possibility of feaching the inner faceS of the teeth;

Fig. 3 is a bottom p1an vieW of the toot11bnlSh as shoWn in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 iS a Seofio1 along the 1ines 44 of Fig 2.

1efeTring noW to the dTavving, the toothbrush con1 pIfSeS a handle on sten1 1 Which carries at one end thefeof a olura1ity of bfistles 2. The other end of the hand1e 1 has a bofe 3 S1ightly spaced apart ffon1 its extren1o end and tho periphery of tho ond poftion of tho hand1o 1 has o spifa1 gfoovo adapted to Tecoive the ond ooils of 3. 11611- a1 s Tin 4, While the end of the s rin 4 has a Short 1inoa poftion 5 Which is Teceived i11 the ho1o 3 of the hand1o 1. Tho spIfng 4 iS made of Such 1=lateTia1 tht t11e djan1etef thefeof is Teduced opon extensfon of the spfing 4, While its diaD1etef is increaSed npon coInpfeSSion of tho spfing 4. By thiS affangen1ent it is fathef Simp1e to accomn date the s rin 4 to an thick11ess of the n er Pofenfed Apr. 28, 1959 of the LIseT and it iS IIlofe1y necesSary to oToduce ono model Which can be used by childfen as wel1 aS by adu1ts in the saIne nlanner. Due to the sim le nleans of Securin one end of the Spring 4 to the handle 1 it is possible alSo to reInove the spfing 4 ffo1 the handIo 1 and feplaco f11o Spfing 4 by a nevv spring if Such Toplacen1ent is Tequifed, fo1, instance, in caSe the elasticity of tho spTing haS vvofn out. The spring Inay be n1ade of any 11oI1-rusting D1etaL hard Tubber, plaStic, nylon of the like, yet the Wie used for the foTn1ation of the Spting In11st be of coIIlparatively thin croSS SectfoI1 to pern1it of bending of the fingef i11 Sefted thefein in order to be able to Teach into tho mooth and brosh the innef faces of 'a11 teeth. Such arTangenlont n1akeS it possible to cloan the teoth at theif entiIo of1cun1 ference up to the gum and a1So Teach the spaoeS betWeen each paif of adjacent teeth.

It has been found also of advantage to arrange the longitudinal a\iS of the ha11dle Telative fo the 1ongftudina1 axis of the spfing 4 at an anglo o of substa11tia11y 15 (Soe Fig. 1), because it haS been found that Sllch angUlaf arfangement of the toothbrush fe1tive to the spring Simp1ified the engagoment of the teeth by the brush.

vVhile the specic connecting IneanS betWeon tho haTId1o 1 and the Spng 4 has been diSclosed, it is to be un derstood that any other SUitable n1eans fof oonnocfing of theSe eloInents ITlay be used.

vvhi1e I have diSc1oSed one en1bodin1ent of tho pfesont invention, ft is to be ondefstood that this eII1bodin1ent is given by oXaJnple only and not in a 1in1iting Sense, the scope of the pfeSent invention being detefn1ined by tho obiects and the c1aiIns.

I dahn= 1. A toothbfush con1pTising a s1oft Sten1 oarrying a pll1fality of bristles at one end thereof, a helica1 Spting adapted to feceive one finger of the USer of said brush, fhe other end of Said Stem having o, bore feceiving one end of Said spfing and having a spifa1 gToove feceiving the end coi1s of said helica1 spfing, to provide a rigid connection betWee11 said sten1 and said spring and to permit of eaSy accesS to a11 pans of the teef11, ad said helica1 spfi11g changing itS dian1etef upon extension and conpresSion, Tespectively, in ofder to adiust tho open diafnetef of Said spring to the fhickness of the gef of the nsef of Said bTush.

2. A toothbruSh comprising a shoft sten1 carrying 8 plllra1ity of bristleS at one end thefoof, a helical spring adapted fo feceive one ngef of the user of said bfush, moans ligidly connecting the otheI' end of Said sten1 Wfth one ond of said spfing, and said helica1 spfing changing its dian1tee1 upon extension and oon1presSion, Tespectivo1y, in ordef to adiuSt the open diametef of said spfing fo the thickneSS of the ngef of the user of said bTush.

3. A t0othbrush conlprising a short sten1 caffying a plura1ity of bfistleS at one end thefeof, a he1ica1 spring adapted to feceive one fingeI of the usef of said bfush, InoanS Wfapped afound and extending thfough tho otho1 end of said SteIn fof connection of the 1attef vvith one end of Said spfing, and said helica1 SpIing changing its dian1- etef Upon extension and con1pression, Tespective1y, in ordef fo adiust the open dian1eter of said spIing to tho thickness of the ngef of the nsef of Said bfush.

Refefences dd in the fle of this patont UNITED STATBS PATENTS 211,918 Lombafd Feb. 4, 1879 1,397,899 1 aln1er Nov. 22, 1921 1,64S,96S Neumerke1 ()ct. 18, 1927 2,361,39S Gi11igan ocf. 31, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 578 274 Ffaoe Iune 27 1924 

